Leeds United have been backed to win the race to sign 16-year-old attacker Charlie Allen from Northern Irish side Linfield, a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post has claimed.

Despite his young age, Allen is already starting to make his mark for Linfield's senior side, who are managed by former Leeds striker David Healy.

The teenager has already made four league appearances for the club, and it seems that has caught the attention of a number of high profile clubs, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Rangers all credited with an interest in Allen.

According to the latest reports however, it could be Leeds who are in pole position to secure the services of the teenager.

It is thought that Leeds have been monitoring the progress of Allen for some time now, and that there is a confidence behind the scenes at Elland Road that they can win the race for the teenager's signature.

However, it has also been suggested that a deal for the versatile attacker is not imminent for Leeds, with transfer business said to be taking on a reduced priority due to the financial implications of the ongoing suspension of the football season, which have seen a number of playing and non-playing staff at the club take pay cuts to deal with that situation.

The Verdict

This could be a decent signing for Leeds to pull off.

Allen's rapid progression towards Linfield's senior side already shows the potential he has, something that only appears to be enhanced further by the size, profile and number of clubs linked with him.

Indeed, as a result of that, not only would the signing of Allen look to be a good one from a football perspective for Leeds, but it would also be a significant statement of intent from the Championship promotion hopefuls.